Chapter 78: chapter 78

SRUTHI The first thing I think upon waking up is how warm and cosy I feel. It takes me a second to realise Madhav's hands are wrapped around my waist and my head is lying close to his chest. I lie still listening to his rhythm of heart beating thinking about last night. A smile curves my lips as I think about how shy Madhav looked when he asked me to tell him the story. Who would believe that a ruthless killer like him loves listening to children's stories before going to bed? It felt oddly peaceful and content to watch him fall asleep as he listened to the stories.  I feel light and calm when Madhav is around me. Something fills up my heart every time he flashes me a smile. The feelings I have for him both surprise me and scare me at the same time. This is how I felt with Praveen. With Madhav, the feelings are ten times more intense and that is what makes me afraid. I shouldn't harbour any feelings for this man because he has another woman in his heart. He told me that he would try to make this marriage work but I am not sure if he could move on from the woman he loves. He loved her for all these years and I don't expect him to throw away that woman from his heart so easily. Nope, that is not how feelings and emotions work. I slowly tilt my head up to watch his sleeping face. His features are relaxed and soft and I realise this is the first time I am seeing him so relaxed and peaceful. He is always in an alert mood when he is awake. I have never seen him relax. BE...EP...BEE.....P....BEEP...BEEP...BEEP......The sound of his alarm stirs Madhav awake and for some unknown reason, I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. I am not sure why I am reacting this way and it is very silly of me to behave like this. I try to keep my breathing normal as Madhav shifts next to me. My heart picks up its rate when I feel his breath hot on my neck.“I know you are awake. A very good morning,” he whispers.I open my eyes wide and give him an incredulous look. He grins at me my expression, “How did you know I was awake?” “The next time you pretend to be asleep, keep your eyelid shut lightly and keep your facial features relaxed. You looked like you were having constipation.”I gasped in horror, “I didn't look like that.”“You did,” he says turning off his alarm and getting up. “The next time I will click a snap of it to show to you.”“No, you aren't allowed to do that. If you do that, then I will leak to the whole world how pink is your favourite colour.”Madhav looks surprised, “How did you know that?”I gasp at him for the second time today, “Wait, is pink your favourite colour really? I was just trying to blackmail you but seriously?”He nods but doesn't look ashamed of it. Most men who like pink colour are ashamed to admit it to others because of the usual stigma. I shake my head at him, “What other surprises are hiding, Madhav?”“More than you can count,” he says with a chuckle.“Good. I will find them all,” I say in a determined tone.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“You look like you haven't slept for days,” I comment handing over a cup of coffee to Nisha. She looks tired and there are dark circles under her eyes. “All thanks to your brother,” she says in a grudging tone. “He sure has to know how to make me work for the day offs he gave me.”“Then why don't you quit and find another job? I am sure you will be able to get one easily.”“I will,” Nisha says with a smile, “but two things are holding me back.”“What are they?” I ask interest piqued.“The first thing is the money. It is high pay. The second thing is a contract I signed with you when he hired me.”“Contract?”“Yeah, it is more of a non-disclosure agreement and some other bunch of nonsense that I don't remember.  However, according to the contract, I cannot quit or change jobs. If I do quit then there should be a very valid reason for it.”“Like marriage?” I prompt.Nisha only smiles, “I asked that same question to your brother but he asked me to marry a man who would be residing in the Capital.”“That idiot,” I say with a shake of my head. Of course, my brother is dense when it comes to matters of love and relationships. “So, that means you are stuck with my brother for the rest of your life?”She nods solemnly, “Unfortunately, I am. Anyways, talks about me aside. How are you?”I wave a hand before my body, “As you can see well and good.”Her eyes blue eyes glint, “How are things with Madhav?”At the name of my husband, I feel heat rush to my face. It is going to be a week since Madhav and I started to stay at my brother's house. Our daily routine has changed. We would wake up at some fivish for my self-defence training. I am still trying to learn things but lagging behind a lot. Madhav is a patient but no-nonsense kind of teacher and gives me no break. I have only mastered the art of getting out of ropes and know how to throw a basic punch.After that training, he gets ready to go for his work and I prepare food for him and my brother. The whole day I spend with my brother making sure he takes his tablet and food at the times he must and aiding him in changing his bandages. His wounds will still take a week or so to heal. He has kept his injuries a secret and hasn't gone anywhere in the past week. Even, Nisha doesn't know to what extent he is injured. My brother is communicating with her through phone asking her to finish the work from house. Today, she came by to drop off a few documents that my brother had to review. When the evening comes, Madhav returns and we have dinner and then go to bed in each other's arms.  The strange thing about our relationship now is I don't know how to define it. Legally we are husband and wife but I am not sure how he sees me. The term ‘friend’ can be used loosely. I say loosely because friends don't cuddle or spoon you to sleep. Neither do they flirt with you. But we flirt and I can feel something between us. I don't want to put a name to that something but with each day, that something is only growing bigger. “Things are still uncertain between us,” I admit to Nisha. “Do you like him?” she asks.“I do,” I confess feeling shy. “I feel things I haven't felt with anyone else. Not even with Praveen but I don't want to rush and label it. Besides, even if I have feelings, I don't think he will love me back.”Nisha's jaw hangs open in shock, “Whoa! And why is that?”I take a deep breath and admit, “Because, he loves another woman.”“Who told you that?” “He told me that. He has been in love with a woman for years. I don't think you can throw away your years-long love because of a flash marriage. I don't believe in that shit.”“I am not a relationship expert, Sruthi but from what I observed of Madhav, he doesn't seem like he has another woman in his heart except for you.”I smile at her, “Please, don't put ideas into my head, Nisha. I don't want things to repeat itself like what happened with Praveen. I can't take another betrayal. I don't want to expect things or live in a delusional land hoping for happy endings. I am perfectly fine with Madhav having another woman in his heart as long as he stays loyal to me. We did decide to get a divorce if any one of us can't stay in this marriage.”❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“Here,” I say handing over the documents Nisha gave me to Vikram.“Did she leave?”  Vikram asks looking at the room door. He is still in bed covered in bandages. I did see Nisha off and closed the door but didn't lock it because, Madhav would be here in a few minutes.“Yes, she did,” I say taking a seat beside his bed. “Why the hell are you working her like that? Give her a break, Viky. She looks so out of it.”“Yeah,” Vikram nods making himself submerged in the documents Nisha brought.“Do you even hear what I am saying?” “Yeah.”“Are you an idiot?”“Yeah.”“Do you hate her?”“Yeah.”“Do you like her?”“Yeah.”“Do you love her?”“Yea–” he looks up sharply from his document and I grin at him. “Come again, what did you ask me? Who is ‘her’?”“Who else other than your secretary.”Vikram sobers up and looks dead serious, “I don't harbour any feelings for her. And no, I am not an idiot either.”“Are you sure you don't have any feelings for her?”Vikram meets my eye squarely and says, “I don't. Nisha is nothing to me. Only an employee and the relationship between us is purely professional. Nothing more or less.”I nod my head, “Glad to know that.”Vikram returns goes back to reading and I scroll through my phone. My Instagram feed shows me the new poster of some drama series and I zoom in on the photo to see Praveen's lover's face on it. Oh! So, this was the drama they were talking about that day. I look at the picture again to find that many big shots are acting in the drama like the nation's beauty Anandhi, the comical star Johith and many others. She did bag a big win. I should feel bitter but strangely, I don't. I am busy scrolling through the reels when my brother asks, “Are you free the next week?”“Yeah,” I answer still busy scrolling through my phone.“Then how about you go on a honeymoon?”“Yea–” I stop short as his words fully register. “Wait, what?”❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥